One of two rescued hikers in Franconia Notch was pronounced dead after the men were found near the summit of Little Haystack Mountain.

Officials said Laurence Frederickson, 55, of South Sutton, was dead when he arrived at Littleton Regional Hospital on Monday night. James Osborne, 36, of Manchester, was upgraded from critical to serious condition Wednesday morning. Osborne is suffering from severe hypothermia and frostbite at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center.

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Fish and Game Department officials said the hikers were reported missing when Fredrickson and Osborne failed to show up at work at Concord Coach Lines on Monday morning. A ground and air search began Monday afternoon after the hikers' car was found along a road.

Officials said the men were found on the mountain Little Haystack at 7:30 p.m. Monday in a severe hypothermic state. Both were flown to Littleton Regional Hospital.

Searchers had to break a trail through deep snow on the Falling Waters Trail and hike six hours to reach the summit of Little Haystack Mountain.

Fish and Game Lt. Todd Bogardus said that it appeared that the men were equipped only for a day hike and did not have adequate winter gear for a night in the severe weather conditions on the mountain. They did not have snowshoes, which officials said were a prerequisite for navigating the snowy conditions on the trails.

"This tragic situation, once again, underscores the importance of proper planning and the need for appropriate equipment when winter hiking," said Col. Jeffrey Gray, chief of Law Enforcement at Fish and Game.

When the hikers were found, the National Guard helicopter assisting in the search had already returned to Concord, but it was immediately sent back to the area. Despite high winds and what rescuers termed dangerous nighttime conditions, the helicopter was able to land twice on the summit to retrieve the hikers and rescue crews.

Officials said Fredrickson had some winter hiking experience, and Osborne was described as a novice winter hiker.